Every business in England and Wales has a legal Duty of Care to ensure waste is disposed of responsibly.

If you produce waste you must take all reasonable steps to keep the waste safe. If you give it to someone else you must be sure they are authorised to take it and can transport, process or dispose of it safely and legally. If you break this law you can be fined an unlimited amount.

• You must stop the waste escaping from your control - you must contain it.
• Check that anyone taking your waste has the necessary authority - they should be a Registered Waste Carrier.
• You must describe the waste in writing - complete a Waste Transfer Note which you can get from the NetRegs webs site.

Tendring District Council provides a bag based commercial waste collection service which is suitable for businesses producing small amounts of non-hazardous waste. Sacks can be purchased via our waste collection contractor Veolia Environmental Services. For current charges or to arrange collection please telephone Veolia direct on 01255 431620.

Many local companies can provide a wheeled bin or skip based waste collection service and recycling services for trade waste. See Yellow Pages or yell.com. If you are prepared to sort your waste you may be able to negotiate lower costs than for mixed waste.

You are not permitted to dispose of business waste at Essex County Council civic amenity sites. These sites only take household waste.

Over the next two years a range of new rules on waste will require changes to business practice, ensuring better protection for the environment and health. If your company either directly or indirectly 'causes or permits' a polluting material to enter an area, then your company can be prosecuted. Companies that actively reduce environmental risks and impacts are more sustainable, profitable, valuable and competitive.

Certain wastes are classified as hazardous - a very broad term for a wide range of substances that present different levels of risk. Some present a serious and immediate threat to the population and the environment, for example those which are toxic, could cause cancer or infectious disease. Others, such as fluorescent tubes or cathode ray tubes in televisions, pose little immediate threat but may cause long term damage over a period of time.

Any business already handling high-risks wastes should already be working with their waste contractor to dispose of them safely. The action you need to take will depend on the types of waste your business generates. You will need to:

• Think about the range of wastes your business generates. Hazardous wastes will need to be collected and disposed of separately.
• If you produce hazardous wastes you will need to notify the Environment Agency so that they can register you as a producer. Your waste contractor may be able to do this for you.
• Ask your waste contractor how they will be collecting the types of waste you produce.

Some wastes will need to be sampled, tested and described for your waste contractor - this is called 'characterisation' and ensures that the waste will be disposed of in the correct way.

Think about how to reduce the amount of waste your business creates - producing less will make life easier and could save you money - organisations with efficient resources, which adopt sustainable practices, reduce waste and pollution.

The Environment Agency can provide details of Registered Waste Carriers, Licensed waste disposal and treatment facilities and further advice on your Duty of Care and Hazardous Waste. For more information please contact the Environment Agency Customer Contact Centre on 08708 506506 or visit their web site.

Some advice will vary from authority to authority, if you do not live in the Tendring district it is advisable to contact your own local authority. To find out who your local authority is, you can check your Council Tax bill or enter your postcode on the DirectGov - the Government information website http://www.direct.gov.uk/.